Why so serious?
I'm going to start this post on a weird topic for me: Spears. First, I feel that Britney has been a tad neglectful of the court system. I never thought I'd say this, but I hope Kevin keeps custody of the kids. Also, Jamie Lynn, Britney's younger sister, is pregnant at 16. Apparently, the father is 19 year old Casey Aldridge. I want to know what's going to happen to him. I did a check and discovered that the age of consent in Louisiana (the Spears' home state) is 17. She acts in a Nickelodeon television show which I'm assuming is filmed in California (Nickelodeon is owned by Viacom, whose studios are in Los Angeles), and the age of consent in California is 18. Isn't she jail-bait? Shouldn't Mr. Adridge be in jail? Or am I missing something? Finally, Lynne Spears' book on parenting is being delayed indefinitely! Hilarity!
EDIT: Someone brought it to my attention that the point of statutory rape laws is to protect minors from becoming victims. Since Aldridge and Spears have been in a good three year relationship, and their ages are so close, it may not be right to turn the young man into a sex offender. From what I've heard and read, he does not appear to be taking advantage of her. They both made a mistake. Yes, they should have waited as it would look better in the eyes of society and the law. However, he should not be treated as a predator. My view has been changed.
Enough of that, because this is much cooler than the Spears family drama. I just saw a trailer for The Dark Knight. Out of all of the mainstream American comic heroes, I would have to say that Batman is my favorite. If anything, his "super power" is sheer tenacity. Superman is too perfect. When it boils down to anything, nothing can really harm Superman unless you've got the Kryptonite. Sure, there was also Doomsday, but I take umbrage with Doomsday. Here's a creature that can kill Superman while he is at full strength (i.e. powers haven't been sapped away by Kryptonite, and he hasn't been kept out of our bright yellow sunlight for months on end), and yet he hasn't killed any other superhero. How is that possible? There should have been massive casualties in the Justice League, but they just suffered injuries and left Superman to eventually get himself killed (and then resurrected 5 times, four fakes and then the real one). I say that was just marketing, and it was crap. They couldn't really kill Superman, anyway. Too perfect.
Basically, he's the D.C. version of Jesus. That may sound blasphemous, but hear me out. Superman is all about "truth, justice, and the American way." Now, I'm an American and I don't exactly know what the American way is. I know what I want it to be, but I'm not sure if the country is necessarily acting in those interests. Ideally, it's about freedom for all. As inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses". Superman is shown defending the weak from evil, protecting the innocent from the wolves of the world. When he confronts the devil in the form of a creature with no reason or remorse for the death and destruction he causes, Superman prevails, but at the cost of his own life. Then, in an extremely biblical reference, his tomb is opened only to discover that there is no body inside and he has been resurrected. Having a Christ figure is very common in literature. I'm fine with that. However, I don't think it's a character you're supposed to relate to in any way. I can't relate to someone who works miracles or has superpowers. He flies, his skin deflects bullets, he shoots fire from his eyes and freezes things with his breath, and he can lift a car over his head with his pinky. Right.
On the other hand, you have Batman. Bruce Wayne comes from wealth. Can't relate there, really. However, he has experienced tragedy. It's not a tragedy unique only to him, too. People lose people. Family members die. Sometimes people are murdered. It's a horrible thing, but it happens. So now this young boy decides to get revenge. This is a relatable thing, too. It falls apart for me somewhat with the first few Batman films and the Batman television show. First, the show was too campy and comical, second the movies were too fantastic. From what I know of the story via the comic books, Batman is a dark character. There is no mirth within him. The Adam West Batman was more-or-less a happy guy. Don't get me wrong; I liked the show, but it was an entirely different character. The real Batman wouldn't dance, and he certainly wouldn't have such absurd gadgets as a "three-seconds-flat-safe-cracker" (that was an actual device used in the show.) I understand that it wouldn't have worked for an action television program at the time, and I accept that. However, that's far away from my baseline for the ideal Batman representation. Moving on to the movies, the Jack Nicholson Joker needed plastic surgery and that resulted in his new face and iconic smile. I liked Nicholson's representation of the Joker, but it still hinged on the unrealistic. Danny DeVito as the Penguin, a child living in sewers underneath Gotham being raised by penguins!? Not very likely to happen north of the Equator. Jim Carrey as the Riddler sucking intelligence from people via television? They aren't even trying anymore! I didn't even bother to watch the one with George Clooney because it was delving too far into the realm of the absurd!
I'm going to be discussing the movie Batman Begins now. If you haven't seen it, and you want to, then I would suggest you stop reading. The new Batman movies are much more enjoyable for me. It established Bruce's fear of bats and the death of his parents, as well as his inability to kill his parents' killer. He goes on his self-destructive bender and, upon his return, is still seeking revenge against an entity who, at first, appeared to have disappeared beyond his reach. The villain in the movie appears to be very human. The story of Ra's al Ghul is such that he has acheived immortality. If we were to stick with that, we would drift into fantasy. However, enough reality is restored in the movie Batman Begins by making it such that who we think is Ra's al Ghul and who really is Ra's al Ghul are two different people. Thus, the appearance of his "immortality" remains intact, but can still be explained by rational means. Moving on to the new movie, The Dark Knight, the appearance of Heath Ledger as the Joker shows a man wearing clown makeup. He is clearly out of his mind, but he is also clearly human. This is the point I've been driving at: Batman, to me, is the most human of the superhero landscape. I love what they've done to make Bruce Wayne a real person.
John Cleese wrote an alternate story for Superman where his ship crashes in Kent and he is found by the Clarks. Instead of truth, and justice, his English parents teach him the value of being mindful of what the neighbors would think. I found it to be a much more enjoyable read than the actual Superman comics.
EDIT: Someone brought it to my attention that the point of statutory rape laws is to protect minors from becoming victims. Since Aldridge and Spears have been in a good three year relationship, and their ages are so close, it may not be right to turn the young man into a sex offender. From what I've heard and read, he does not appear to be taking advantage of her. They both made a mistake. Yes, they should have waited as it would look better in the eyes of society and the law. However, he should not be treated as a predator. My view has been changed.
Enough of that, because this is much cooler than the Spears family drama. I just saw a trailer for The Dark Knight. Out of all of the mainstream American comic heroes, I would have to say that Batman is my favorite. If anything, his "super power" is sheer tenacity. Superman is too perfect. When it boils down to anything, nothing can really harm Superman unless you've got the Kryptonite. Sure, there was also Doomsday, but I take umbrage with Doomsday. Here's a creature that can kill Superman while he is at full strength (i.e. powers haven't been sapped away by Kryptonite, and he hasn't been kept out of our bright yellow sunlight for months on end), and yet he hasn't killed any other superhero. How is that possible? There should have been massive casualties in the Justice League, but they just suffered injuries and left Superman to eventually get himself killed (and then resurrected 5 times, four fakes and then the real one). I say that was just marketing, and it was crap. They couldn't really kill Superman, anyway. Too perfect.
Basically, he's the D.C. version of Jesus. That may sound blasphemous, but hear me out. Superman is all about "truth, justice, and the American way." Now, I'm an American and I don't exactly know what the American way is. I know what I want it to be, but I'm not sure if the country is necessarily acting in those interests. Ideally, it's about freedom for all. As inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses". Superman is shown defending the weak from evil, protecting the innocent from the wolves of the world. When he confronts the devil in the form of a creature with no reason or remorse for the death and destruction he causes, Superman prevails, but at the cost of his own life. Then, in an extremely biblical reference, his tomb is opened only to discover that there is no body inside and he has been resurrected. Having a Christ figure is very common in literature. I'm fine with that. However, I don't think it's a character you're supposed to relate to in any way. I can't relate to someone who works miracles or has superpowers. He flies, his skin deflects bullets, he shoots fire from his eyes and freezes things with his breath, and he can lift a car over his head with his pinky. Right.
On the other hand, you have Batman. Bruce Wayne comes from wealth. Can't relate there, really. However, he has experienced tragedy. It's not a tragedy unique only to him, too. People lose people. Family members die. Sometimes people are murdered. It's a horrible thing, but it happens. So now this young boy decides to get revenge. This is a relatable thing, too. It falls apart for me somewhat with the first few Batman films and the Batman television show. First, the show was too campy and comical, second the movies were too fantastic. From what I know of the story via the comic books, Batman is a dark character. There is no mirth within him. The Adam West Batman was more-or-less a happy guy. Don't get me wrong; I liked the show, but it was an entirely different character. The real Batman wouldn't dance, and he certainly wouldn't have such absurd gadgets as a "three-seconds-flat-safe-cracker" (that was an actual device used in the show.) I understand that it wouldn't have worked for an action television program at the time, and I accept that. However, that's far away from my baseline for the ideal Batman representation. Moving on to the movies, the Jack Nicholson Joker needed plastic surgery and that resulted in his new face and iconic smile. I liked Nicholson's representation of the Joker, but it still hinged on the unrealistic. Danny DeVito as the Penguin, a child living in sewers underneath Gotham being raised by penguins!? Not very likely to happen north of the Equator. Jim Carrey as the Riddler sucking intelligence from people via television? They aren't even trying anymore! I didn't even bother to watch the one with George Clooney because it was delving too far into the realm of the absurd!
I'm going to be discussing the movie Batman Begins now. If you haven't seen it, and you want to, then I would suggest you stop reading. The new Batman movies are much more enjoyable for me. It established Bruce's fear of bats and the death of his parents, as well as his inability to kill his parents' killer. He goes on his self-destructive bender and, upon his return, is still seeking revenge against an entity who, at first, appeared to have disappeared beyond his reach. The villain in the movie appears to be very human. The story of Ra's al Ghul is such that he has acheived immortality. If we were to stick with that, we would drift into fantasy. However, enough reality is restored in the movie Batman Begins by making it such that who we think is Ra's al Ghul and who really is Ra's al Ghul are two different people. Thus, the appearance of his "immortality" remains intact, but can still be explained by rational means. Moving on to the new movie, The Dark Knight, the appearance of Heath Ledger as the Joker shows a man wearing clown makeup. He is clearly out of his mind, but he is also clearly human. This is the point I've been driving at: Batman, to me, is the most human of the superhero landscape. I love what they've done to make Bruce Wayne a real person.
John Cleese wrote an alternate story for Superman where his ship crashes in Kent and he is found by the Clarks. Instead of truth, and justice, his English parents teach him the value of being mindful of what the neighbors would think. I found it to be a much more enjoyable read than the actual Superman comics.
posted by Doug Murata at 11:27 AM
5 Comments:
Pow! Boff! WHAM! So there....
I agree completely though... thought the original TV series to be super campy - wasn't fond of any of the original movies. But I really liked how they handled things with Batman Begins. By far, my favourite of any of them.
(You don't agree TV and/or Jim Carrey sucks the intelligence out of people?)
I thought they introduced too many villains too fast in the movies. I stopped watching somewhere around Batman & Robin - I think the nipples molded into Robbins' breastplate armour did it :P
Don't suppose you remember the name of that John Cleese piece... sounds hilarious.
messiah: I liked the first two (Tim Burton) Batman movies, but at the same time, I was something like 9 years old when the first one came out. It had clowns and colors and things. Now that I'm older, I appreciate the grim nature of Bruce Wayne's history.
Yes, TV and Jim Carrey can be a bit intelligence-sucking, but it was the transfer as opposed to the dissipation that bothered me.
I read that the costume team released a joke Batman costume for Christian Bale for this sequel that had nipples on it. He had already seen concept shots of the costume, so he knew it was a joke, but he still wore the nipple suit and had a laugh!
The John Cleese story is called Superman: True Brit
Ah, Batman.
Also my favourite superhero.
Though, as you say, he is not technically a superhero; He has no superpowers, just a an ever-present moral vengeance that seems insatiable. I agree that this is easier to identify with than a jesus figure who can punch planets into dust.
I liked the first Batman movie, and I think Ledger will have a tough time following Nicholson as The Joker. But all the other movies sucked. Thank heavens for the reboot and Christian Bale.
A three-seconds-flat-safe-cracker sounds great until you realize that you can't store many valuables in a flat safe.
Can't wait to read the Cleese thing. Sounds great.
Ultra: I'm trying to imagine Jesus punching a planet to dust.
I think Heath Ledger will do a good job. I liked what I saw of him from the trailer. Nicholson did an excellent job, and I don't think Ledger will use very much (if any) of Nicholson's performance as a reference, but I feel that Ledger will make the character his own and bring us a darkly psychotic vision appropriate to the atmosphere of the current Batman movies.
I'm hopeful!
Joe: Perhaps you could store important documents!
I thought True Brit was great, and I heartily recommend it!
Post a Comment
<< Home